The 2025 Oscars included an elaborate tribute to the James Bond franchise, but given the state of the franchise it seemed like particularly odd timing. The beloved spy thriller franchise has earned more than $19 billion (adjusted) at the box office across 27 films. The iconic role of 007 has been played by seven different actors, and with Daniel Craig’s time as Bond coming to an end, the future of the franchise is as uncertain as it’s ever been.

The debate over the next Bond is a perpetual conversation in the movie industry, with fan-casting lists and outside-the-box choices constantly flying. While there hasn’t been much in the way of progress when it comes to casting, the franchise itself recently changed hands, making it likely that an update about the next Bond coming in the next year or two. However, the very nature of that change is exactly what made the Oscars 2025 tribute that began with Margaret Qualley so awkward.

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The Oscars 2025’s James Bond Tribute Comes Just After Amazon Takes Control Of The Franchise

The Franchise Was Acquired Years Earlier In A $1 Billion Deal

Creative control over the James Bond franchise will pᴀss to Amazon, and with Daniel Craig’s time as the secret agent over, it seems destined for a reboot with a new actor or actress in the role of 007. Franchise fans are understandably concerned that the beloved movie series will decline in quality with the corporate oversight that will come with Amazon at the helm. While there has been no new information about the franchise’s creative direction, the varying styles and tones of the franchise are part of what gives each Bond “era” its charm and personality.

That creative uncertainty born out of corporate oversight flies in the face of the work done on the franchise up to this point, which is part of what makes the Oscars’ tribute timing so strange. The musical tribute at the 97th Academy Awards seemed to be directly related to producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, who led the franchise forward for decades before recently stepping down. What makes the tribute awkward is that neither is now involved with the franchise, so in essence, the tribute comes too late to matter.

What Amazon Being In Control Means For The Future Of The James Bond Franchise

Fans Of The Franchise Are Concerned About Its Future

While the Broccoli family will remain co-owners of the franchise, all creative control for the Bond franchise will pᴀss to the executives at Amazon. They will have final authority over the directors, casting, and most importantly, scripts for each iteration of the 007 franchise moving forward. Understandably, Bond fans are concerned that the franchise will devolve into algorithm-driven mediocrity, with 007 finding himself or herself the subject of a subpar streaming action series as opposed to a well-written blockbuster.

While no decisions have been made yet, it seems inevitable that the updates will start flying now that Broccoli and Wilson have yielded creative control. With such a mᴀssively popular and profitable franchise now at their disposal, it seems a certainty that Amazon will look to capitalize on their newest toy as soon as possible. In that light, many viewers declared the Oscars 2025 musical tribute more of a funeral for the franchise than anything.

You can check out the running list of all winners at the 97th Academy Awards here.